


Change of scale

by Octowlpus



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark Star (League of Legends), Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Cosmic Jhin - Freeform, Gen, trying to link this AU and the canon with tape and strings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27942935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octowlpus/pseuds/Octowlpus
Summary: He was an etheral being, holding stars in the palm of his hand and shattering galaxies in a snap.Until he wasn't
Kudos: 4





	Change of scale

**Author's Note:**

> It's a Jhin fic so expect some violence and purple prose

_Bliss._

Bliss took over Jhin's mind as he fired the final shot.

The star collapsed around the hole of pure void the bullet had left, twisting and inverting its core into a spiraling black hole. Pulling the edges of space around it, it swallowed all light and matter left in the extincted galaxy in an instant, and remained, pulsating with a tainted purple glow.

He floated around his work, in contemplation, savoring the peace in his heart. It had been too long now since he'd made something so beautiful. And with the Dark Star as his muse, he'd never have to worry about losing inspiration. Ever since his renaissance, it had opened his eyes to the possibilites of erasure, showed him the true, hidden meanings of this universe, and his wonderful role in making it reach its pinnacle. How it would make him, Jhin, whole.

He was finally tending this burning hunger within him, finally uniting the grand disorder that he and his peers brought on the universe under the banner of the Dark Star, and-

And it stopped. A flash of darkness, the feeling of being ripped apart into beautiful, _beautiful_ pieces, and then...

* * *

He came to on a strange platform, his body feeling like he both fell from a great height and was pulled by invisible strings, Barely adjusting to the myriad of new sensations, he raised his head and felt immediately assaulted, surrounded as he was by beings, creatures, smells, sounds, heat, _life._

A Celestial, amongst people.

Jhin didn't do _people_.

Of course, from his days in the Celestial Court, watching, creating and improving systems, he knew they might harbor life. He'd listen to Nami's tales of the wonderful and enchanting life forms one could find in their completed projects, but there was always something calmer and more lasting when working on the galactic scale. Mortals didn't matter, when it came to art. They were barely details, small specks crawling on the surface of budding masterpieces. When he rushed to make his art bloom, they would dissolve before the Grand Finale, a small puff of matter or gas that he could sweep away in an instant. There never was any reason to care.

And now here he was.

When he arrived in this new place, surrounded by all these...others, he raised his weapon in a panic, aiming it erratically at the four creatures (four, of course four, it had to be _four_ -), who barely acknowledged him. One being simply nodded at him and ran in a direction, while the others ran around. He turned his weapon towards the being who was running away. Tried to fire. His finger was immediately blocked by an unknown force. He tried again, and again, pouring whatever powers he had left in his arm, in his hand. Always meeting resistance, perhaps the same force that dragged him here and was reducing his form to a mere fragment of godhood...

All the creatures had left now, and he found himself alone on the platform, in front of glowing crystals and constructions. Feeling like he should do something, anything, he ran as well, following the path of his first target. When he caught up with it, they were immediately ambushed by another being, who rushed at Jhin, weapons drawn. Before he could do anything, his first target slammed the attacker against the ground and started pummeling it, the impacts marking the creature's flesh with red circles, and a strange red fluid leaked from what he assumed was a mouth. Curious, Jhin raised his weapon again.

A single, unobstructed shot reduced the would-be predator to a cloud of light pink particules. Jhin's first target (ally ?) turned its head, nodded, smiled (was it a smile ?) and ran away again, only to jump a few strides later on some smaller beings milling around. Jhin eyed the ground where the skirmish took place, a red puddle blooming at the spot.

He looked at his weapon. He'd have to make some adjustments.

* * *

From then on, time and life morphed into a strange pattern. From this semi-mortal perspective, time felt like a wheel, rolling at a steady pace on the timeline he was now part of. Every cycle, he'd land on the platform, weakened and stripped of everything but his Whisper. The more time he'd spend in the arena, the more his powers would come back to him, the closer he felt to his original self, until his group or their enemies would destroy a crystal. Then there'd be a blinding explosion of light, silence, and he'd land on the platform again, with four others. His mind, however, wasn't affected by the loop, and even if he didn't know exactly how long he had been (or would still spend) in this place, he felt

He found out that he could still create, which brought much joy and chagrin. When he would snap his fingers, only dim, puny stars would form, orbiting around him. Blowing them out was doing them a favor, really, but a meaningless one. No, what his Celestial powers couldn't grant him anymore, he'd have to find somewhere else, in the flesh, bones and blood of the beings he was permitted to kill. And oh, was it satisfying ! The new materials were rich, vibrant, all the textures and shades twisting and mixing together into wonderful new pieces. With some changes in Whisper's nebulous power source, a single bullet would mold the flesh into the most delicate sculptures, the gun's echoing detonation a solid base for the symphony of screams.

But despite all those joys, his mind was riddled with questions. He couldn't help but feel these repeated performances were some sort of mockery of his works, putting him with _four_ perfect candidates he couldn't touch, against five others... No matter his efforts, the composition would always feel _off._ And then there was the question of _feelings_. Between those he'd never felt before, like a rush of fear when exploring uncharted territory, the moments of panic while he would reload Whisper under enemy fire, the pain, the injuries, the pain...

What was it, about pain ? About all these emotions that were now part of him, meddling with every decision, thought, movements ? Why did he feel them, as much as everyone else, whose feelings would reflect on their faces like imperfect mirrors ? What _was_ it ?

Jhin hummed as he strolled up to his victim's body, admiring his work. His newest creation had worked beyond his expectations, giving him perfect control of the pose and angles. The trap's explosion had obliterated their legs, turned them into the finest of stardust, twinkling and slowly dispersing in the rain. And from the waist up, there laid his masterpiece. Gone were the primitive organs or splashes of gore. Instead, he'd crafted ethereal bones of arachnoid fibers, draped the skin with a faint silver outline before carefully erasing the soft, opaque tissues beneath, leaving the shining remains of a new constellation.

He kneeled next to his muse's face and delicately wiped a tear with the still warm barrel of Whisper. Their eyes fluttered and turned to face Jhin, then widened in fright. The mouth moved, trying to form words that came out as spits of blood and garbled sounds. Jhin removed his hand and tilted his head, studying quielty his production. As the spark of life dimmed in his victim's eyes, the last thing they heard was a reverent whisper.

_"How does it...feel ?"_

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is just a video game so logic shouldn't apply, but it's always so fucking funny to me that you can play an ageless deity, ruling over thousands of galaxies with unlimited powers, and get wrecked by a child that casts Fireball
> 
> Might include another chapter about what happens when you die in the Rift & other Cosmic beings


End file.
